In most cases, the side door of an automotive vehicle is attached to the vehicle body with a conventional vehicle hinge. The vehicle door is adapted to rotate about the hinge for passenger ingress and egress to the vehicle passenger compartment. When using such a hinge there must be adequate space between the outer door leading edge and the adjacent pillar inner surface to allow the door to rotate about the hinge and open and close. Typically the pillar is formed with a cavity adjacent to the outer door leading edge to provide for such clearance.
It has become commercially desirable to provide in pickup and light commercial trucks a third and often fourth vehicle door attached to a B or C-pillar. As is often the case, however, these pillars are structurally reinforced or are carriers for a vehicle feature that prohibits forming a cavity therein to allow clearance for the outer door leading edge upon opening and closing of such a door.
An articulated door hinge may be employed to remedy such a problem. One articulated door hinge uses an upper and lower hinge to attach the vehicle door to the vehicle body. Such a hinge, however, lacks structural integrity and upon opening the vehicle door, the door sags and does not provide the quality that present day consumers are accustomed to. Another articulated door hinge uses a pair of torsion reinforcement bars to connect the upper and lower hinge to provide structural integrity sufficient to prevent the door from sagging. This hinge, however, moves the outer door leading edge outwardly and longitudinally forward of the vehicle. This is a problem with many trucks and light commercial vehicle because the b-pillar often extends outwardly of the outer door leading edge and would therefore interfere with such movement. Furthermore, this hinge has uniquely manufactured body half and vehicle door half linkages as well as a lack of interchangeability between right and left side hinges, which adds undesirable cost and weight to the vehicle.
What is desired than is an articulated door hinge that prevents the outer door leading edge from interfering with any type of pillar structure upon door opening, is sufficiently structurally robust to prevent door sag upon door opening and has interchangeable components corresponding to door half and body half upper and lower hinges as well as corresponding right and left vehicle door hinges.